Greetings, and Happy Fathers Day!
As seen in the summary, this is a prompt that was taken from the My Hero Academia Amino where we must create a piece about the character(s) of our choice getting jazzy with street art. Keep in mind while reading that this is a quirkless + Dabi is a Todoroki AU, and the characters are gonna be a little OOC as well. I tried. :')
Enjoy!
His footsteps resounded throughout the house as Shoto hurried up the stairs, taking brisk steps down the hall until he reached his bedroom. He slammed the door shut behind him, clenching and unclenching his fists as he tried to calm himself before he acted out irrationally. His heart was racing within his chest while he tried to steady his breathing, sitting down on his bed and reveling in the quiet solitude of his room.
He felt overwhelmed.
Winter vacation had just started, he'd returned home from his boarding school only a day ago and he was already beginning to feel the heavy energy that his father's house held. He wasn't going to come at first, but the most recent phone calls and texts he shared with his father compelled him to return and pay his family a visit. Meeting his father for the first time in person after so long had been awkward for both parties, but his father wasn't the issue.
Not the main issue, at least.
Ever since Natsuo had arrived yesterday, he and Fuyumi wouldn't stop bickering, both very passionate and stubborn and none of them willing to yield. Fuyumi was continuously trying to get Natsuo to at least talk to their father, telling him that the man they once knew was gone and that he was trying to change. But, Natsuo would hear none of it, heatedly shutting down all of his sister's attempts.
Which often resulted in the two of them getting into an intense debate, like now, the reason why Shoto had to escape the dinner table so hastily. It was over something petty, really, but his elder siblings didn't seem to care, going at it like an attorney defending their client. The worst part about the whole ordeal was that they often tried to drag Shoto into it, pressuring him into choosing a side, hoping to gain his support for their argument.
But Shoto never gave in, never participated in their quarrel. He didn't even know which side he was on. He wanted to agree with Fuyumi, to believe that their father was really trying to change and make up for what he'd done in the past. At the same time, he couldn't just completely dismiss Natsuo's side either, Shoto wanted to stay distant from his father. He wanted to resent him for what he did to their mother and his siblings, he wanted to hate him for it.
And, to make matters worse, they were supposed to be leaving to visit his mother in the hospital tomorrow. All of them. As a family. Shoto could feel his heartbeat begin to pick up again at the thought, empty stomach churning with unease. It was all happening too fast, too many things at once that was trying to pull Shoto in every direction.
It was all too much.
From somewhere downstairs, probably still at the dinner table, Shoto could hear Fuyumi and Natsuo beginning to argue again. They tried to keep their voices low, and though Shoto could only hear muffled words he knew that the conversation was already becoming heated. Their father had left a while ago, leaving in his police car to start his nightly patrol along with his partner who went by the name "Hawks."
Shoto stood from where he was sitting on his bed, going over to his work desk in the corner of the room where he knew his sketchbook was. All he needed to do was draw. Then he'd feel better. Allowing his pencil to glide effortlessly across the paper would take his mind off of the number of problems piling up. He pulled his chair out from under the desk and dropped down into it, grabbing his pencil and opening up his sketchbook to a random page. He began to scribble down a little sketch, just something that popped into his head. Something to take his mind off of what was going on downstairs.
His heel bounced off of the ground under the table, another thing to keep him occupied. He tried his hardest to block out the murmurs coming from the lower level, but his efforts all seemed futile as Fuyumi raised her voice loud enough for it to echo throughout the house.
"Natsuo, would you please just listen to me!"
Everything seemed to have stopped at that point. Shoto's hand fell still as he waited, breath bated, for what Natsuo might do.
The silence was almost painful. It seemed like forever until Natsuo said anything, but then, Shoto heard it; the soft, almost broken voice that came from downstairs. "Fuyumi… please..."
That was it.
He needed to leave.
Blinking rapidly and trying to force down his emotions, Shoto stood from his desk, immediately heading over to his window. This wouldn't be the first time he snuck out of the house via his window, but he wouldn't call himself an expert at it either. Thankfully, he was physically built enough that he could leave without slipping and falling to the first floor, injuring himself in the process. It didn't take him long to reach the ground, and before he left, he paused, turning to stare up at his open window for a moment.
He knew that his father wouldn't be returning for another few hours, and he was sure that after the tense energy died down, his siblings would go their separate ways. No one would notice his absence.
With that reassurance in mind, Shoto turned and left.
It didn't take him long to get to the city.
Head down, he rubbed his arms to try and create some form of warmth. It was chilly out, and he was beginning to wish he'd grabbed a sweater before he fled. Shoto glanced up to see where he was going, taking a left down a street he'd never been before. He remembered these roads, most of them at least, and he wanted nothing more than to get out of the familiar part of town, to do something unknown. To get away from this.
A car passed by him, lights bright in the dark of the night. The road he'd taken was poorly lit, darker than the one he'd just been on, but he didn't really care. He couldn't. The thoughts racing through his mind kept him occupied, kept him unable to think of anything else. He just wanted everything to stop… well, no, not necessarily. He didn't want things to go back to how they used to be. He just wanted it to slow down, to give him time to really wrap his mind around the changes.
He sighed, pace slowing.
Maybe he was just being too dramatic. Maybe he was making everything a bigger deal than it needed to be and was fussing about nothing. But...no, he couldn't be. This was a real problem. Fuyumi and Natsuo's constant bickering was getting out of hand, and his father wallowing in his stupid self-pity wasn't helping either. Shoto rolled his eyes at the thought. This wasn't about him, he had no right to be acting like this, to be gloomy about how everything turned out.
If anyone, it was Shoto himself. Shoto was the one who was mainly on the receiving end of their father's mistreatment, and all Fuyumi and Natsuo did was fight as if it were their problem.
Shoto dug his nails into his arms, stretching the fabric of his navy blue button-down shirt, anger beginning to get the best of him.
He turned into an alley, wanting to reach the other side of the tall buildings by taking a shortcut instead of going all the way to the corner. Which, probably wasn't such a good idea. Shoto's steps slowed as he saw a group of hooligans lounging in the alley, talking and laughing with one another. Empty glass bottles of some alcoholic beverage littered the pavement around their feet.
They hadn't seemed to notice Shoto walking towards them yet, and if they did, they didn't pay him much mind. And Shoto hoped to keep it that way.
He kept to himself as he walked past them, keeping his eyes on the approaching exit just up ahead. He'd almost passed by them completely until they stopped talking, and the teen tried to ignore the sudden hostile energy in the air.
"Hey."
Shoto paused.
Great.
He turned slowly, arms dropping to his sides, facing the guy who he assumed had spoken, the one who'd just pushed himself off of the wall to stand up with straighter posture. "You know the drill, empty out your pockets," the guy said, obviously forcing the act. Shoto held back a snort, taking a moment to scrutinize the man before him. Honestly, he looked rather young, probably no older than twenty-five. His dark hair was cut short, rising only a few inches above his actual head.
Shoto hummed in response, eyes glancing around him as the other guys began to regain themselves as well, all gathering in a semi-circle opposite of who Shoto assumed was their leader, though they still tried to look lax. Even though the hostility was radiating off of the group in waves, Shoto couldn't really bring himself to care, which was evident in the way he responded.
"Sorry, I didn't know I had to answer to some lowlife wannabe gang members to take a nice walk in the city," he answered plainly, tone of voice implying that he was bored and not taking the situation seriously in any kind of way.
The young male before him bristled, hand flying to his belt where he pulled out a previously unseen weapon. The blade gleamed in the dim light, and even though Shoto knew this was a very unprofessional, spur of the moment type robbery, he probably shouldn't have underestimated the lowly criminals so much. Still, his tired gaze shifted slowly from the weapon to the young man's displeased face. "So you wanna do this the hard way, then?"
This time, Shoto did snort, amused. Could you really blame him? He was raised by a rather ruthless cop, after all.
A tense silence fell over the alley, Shoto and the leader staring each other down. The man turned the knife in his hand, allowing it to catch the light a few times as if attempting to make himself look more threatening than he actually was. The others in the alley stood rigidly, waiting for a signal, or a sign from their leader that would give them some kind of indication on how to proceed. To Shoto, the entire thing was almost laughable.
The tense energy only grew heavier with each passing moment, the man in front of Shoto nervously glancing at his crew members every now and then. If Shoto wasn't being held at "knife-point" then he would have walked away by now, because this was an utter waste of his time.
"Well, what do we have here?"
Instantly, the casual voice grabbed everyone's attention as the leader whipped around to face the newcomer, and Shoto peered over the man's shoulder, also curious to see who was joining their heated "standoff."
The owner of the voice stood eerily at the entrance of the alley, body almost completely shrouded in darkness, making it hard for anyone to identify who he was. Well, they all knew that much, at least. The strange figure was obviously male. He began walking forward at a relaxed pace, shoes echoing throughout the closely packed walls.
"Who the hell are you?" The leader of the gang called out, lifting his weapon threateningly. The stranger said nothing, continuing to take casual steps forward, though his silent, slow moments gave off a menacing feeling that made everyone in the alley uncomfortable.
The man lifted his hands from his pockets, holding them up in mock surrender. Immediately, Shoto's gaze flew to the exposed skin, eyes widening at what he saw. The man's hands were discolored in a way that made the skin appear a sickly purple, beginning at the base of his fingers and traveling up the rest of his arm. Or at least, as far as Shoto could see, since the dark trench coat the stranger wore hid most of his wrinkled, purple skin. Grisly looking staples connected the natural colored skin of the man's fingers to his unhealthy looking wrist.
Shoto swallowed thickly, forcing his gaze away from the unappealing sight to instead look up at the mans face, that was still concealed by the dark hood of his trench coat. Unknown to Shoto, the leader's eyes widened in recognition just as the stranger finally stepped into the dim light and slowly took off his hood.
"D-D-Dabi-"
The unmasked stranger, or "Dabi," lifted his finger to his lips, silencing any of the gang leaders attempts to speak. A slow, haunting smirk spread across his face, and Shoto couldn't help staring at the way the crude staples shifted at the action. His eyes traveled down, following the morbid purple of the man's skin all along his neck, until his vision was cut off by the black bandana hanging around Dabi's collarbone.
Though his dark hair covered most of it, Shoto could see just how far the disturbingly discolored skin traveled up the man's face, spreading across the entire lower half of his cheeks and jaw and up to his ears, where he had several silver cartilage piercings. The wrinkled skin began moving again as Dabi spoke, causing the staples to shift sickly.
Shoto looked away, unable to stare any longer without feeling the beginnings of nausea wash over him. Shoto lifted his gaze to meet the stranger's but was only met with a sight even more morbid than the discoloring of his face.
Bright, turquoise colored eyes stared down at him, expression tired and bored, but piercing all the same. Shoto felt as if they were boring into his skull, feeling hot under the intense gaze. But he couldn't look away. Even if he wanted to, the raw flesh being pulled thin at the bottom of the man's eyes finished off his look, making him a lot more intimidating than Shoto had previously prepared himself for.
Finally, Dabi's eyes shifted from Shoto and back to the leader, and the teen felt as if he could breathe again, releasing a breath he hadn't known he was holding in.
"Hey, come on fellas, there's no reason to be so hostile, we're all friends here," Dabi spoke, eyes scanning the rest of the men, silently, but coldly. "Right?" It wasn't a question, but rather a statement that left no room for arguments, and by the looks of the gang, no one was about to challenge it. The young, short-haired male dropped his arm that was previously suspended in the air, knife in hand. His face held the look of confliction as Dabi placed a smug hand on his shoulder, waltzing past him in order to stand before Shoto.
Shoto stared back at him and held his intense gaze, not wanting to seem intimidated, considering that his current situation wasn't exactly going in his favor. Even if he was freaking out, he needed to pretend that he wasn't. A slow smirk rose onto Dabi's face at the look he was receiving from the younger male. He turned around to face the gang leader, clearing his throat before speaking. "You can let the kid go, he's with me," Dabi said, and Shoto couldn't mask the shock and surprise that crossed his face.
Wait, what?
There were stunned murmurs from the crew members still standing behind Shoto, but the leader definitely had the most verbal reaction. "Are you sure, Dabi? I swear he's just a good for nothing kid," he spoke harshly, suspiciously, slanted eyes narrowing at Shoto, who only returned the look. Dabi stared for a moment, turquoise eyes burning into the young leader's as the dark-haired man cocked an eyebrow. "And?" He said simply. The short-haired male's jaw dropped, eyes widening slightly as he stared at Dabi, dumbfounded.
Dabi brushed past him, heading towards the exit of the alley he'd arrived in earlier, motioning for Shoto to follow him. "Come on, the others are waiting." Shoto glanced around at the rest of the crew members before slowly following after Dabi. He wasn't sure if he could trust the man, but at the moment following him was better than staying here and trying to fend for himself. Before he reached the mouth of the alley, he glanced over his shoulder, smirking at the glare he was receiving from the young leader.
The young man bristled, huffing out with anger as he opened his mouth in preparation to throw some sort of insult Shoto's way, but before he could say anything, the teen was already gone.
He turned the corner, finally escaping the hostile environment and taking a deep breath of the cool night air. He relished in the breeze that blew through his dual-colored hair and chilled his pale skin, feeling as if that moment in the alley had lasted forever. He made a mental note to never walk into dark alleys in the middle of the night again.
Idly, he wondered how much time had passed since he'd left home. He had failed to grab his phone when he made his hasty departure, so he had no way of checking the time.
Had his father returned yet? Had his siblings finally stopped their bickering and noticed his absence?
No. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It couldn't have been that long, and even if it was there was no way he could return right now. He'd left the house just so he could find some place to cool off, to take his mind off of the stresses of his family, and all that has happened since then was an attempted mugging. Which, speaking of…
Shoto came back to reality, gaze focusing on the back of Dabi's head, who had lifted his hood to conceal his face again. Shoto's mind drifted back to his thoughts before he'd left the alley. Could he really trust his man? Yes, Dabi had gotten him out of a situation that could have gone totally south without his help, but did that really make him trustworthy?
The fact that he even knew the unprofessional gang members was an obvious red flag, and the discolored scars on his skin didn't exactly comfort Shoto either.
Shoto slowed his pace, realizing that while Dabi's back was turned to him, he could probably leave unnoticed. Shoto glanced around before coming to a full stop, noticing that the street across from them was one that he recognized. If he left now, he could probably find his way back to his neighborhood, and then go from there to find a suitable and quiet place where he would finally be able to relax.
"A bit late to be out for a walk, hmm?"
Shoto paused, the gruff voice catching him off guard.
Dabi had come to a stop, body angled halfway so that he could watch him, hands still in his pockets and all traces of his previous complacent attitude gone.
His blank stare was something Shoto wasn't prepared for. Without his smug smirk, the purple scars on his face made him look all the more threatening. Shoto stared at him for a moment, unable to look away from his striking blue eyes. Dabi rose a questioning brow at his silence, and Shoto finally regained himself, eyes narrowing at the taller male. He wasn't about to let fear get the best of him.
"Why do you care?" Dabi snorted at his answer, finally, a slight smile returned to his bruised face. "That's a nice way to thank the person who just saved your ass," he stated, bright eyes never leaving the younger.
Shoto rolled his eyes at that, glancing towards the street he was heading for before Dabi had spoken.
"But of course, there's nothing I can say that'll change your mind," Dabi spoke up again, turning as he began strolling down the sidewalk once more, "enjoy your nightly adventures." Shoto watched as the older male continued on his way without a care. Shoto was about to do the same, but he paused, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Where are you going?" He called out, causing Dabi to slow to a stop again. He turned slowly, a familiar smirk plastered on his face. "Curious, are we?" Shoto clenched his jaw at the snide remark but kept his mouth shut. "Tag along if you'd like." Shoto's brows shot up at the simple statement. "You're going to trust me that easily?" He questioned.
Dabi threw his head back with a laugh full of mockery. "Please, what could you possibly do?" Dabi asked, grin stretching the purple, wrinkled skin on his face. "I could go to the police," Shoto answered immediately, bristling at Dabi's continuous condescending comments. He'd had enough of this guy's boastful behavior. Dabi's laugh died down as he stared silently at Shoto, smile shrinking in size but still present all the same.
"And I could end you before you even get the chance."
"But you won't," was Shoto's quick response, and now it was his turn to smirk, "if you really wished me any harm you would've left me back in that alley."
Dabi was about to make a quick retort, but instead, he paused, thinking over what Shoto had said. He then let out a soft chuckle, bright eyes closing momentarily. Shoto watched him silently, and though he still knew close to nothing about the man, he really didn't seem as hostile as he'd previously suspected. Dabi really didn't seem to wish him any harm.
But then again, was he being too naive? Was he getting comfortable with this potentially dangerous stranger too soon?
Dabi calmed again, pulling Shoto out of his thoughts as he glanced to the right when a small car passed by leisurely, bright lights cutting through the darkness of the night. "You're quick, kid," he complimented, and Shoto beamed mutedly with satisfaction as he took a few steps forward, just so they could continue their conversation without having to raise their voices so much. Especially in the quiet of the night where anyone could be eavesdropping around the corner.
Dabi lifted his right arm, moving his trench coat sleeve back just enough so that he could see the wristwatch that had formerly been hidden there. The dull light made it hard to see the watch, but Dabi appeared to be able to read it just fine. He let out a low curse, looking towards the sidewalk they'd been following before they came to a stop, before turning to look at Shoto again, eyes filled with an emotion Shoto had a hard time distinguishing.
Was it guilt? Confliction, maybe? It was hard to tell, and he wasn't able to dwell on it for much longer as Dabi began speaking.
"I'm running late and I need to get going." Shoto frowned at that, watching silently as Dabi began walking back down the sidewalk again, his pace hastier than before. That's just how Dabi was, quick and to the point with little to no explanation. Shoto didn't know why the simple action suddenly made him feel so somber. He felt drawn as he too turned his back and began walking in his own direction, an unexpected, powerful emotion quickly washing over him.
Loneliness. A feeling Shoto was no stranger to.
Again, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. There was no use moping over a stranger he'd just met. Besides, he had left home with a plan in mind, everything else was simply just a distraction.
"Oi."
Shoto halted almost instantly. He turned, meeting Dabi's questioning gaze as the other rose an inquisitive brow. "Are you coming or what?" He asked. Shoto paused.
"Are you serious?"
"I told you that you could tag along, didn't I?" Dabi stated matter-of-factly, a knowing smirk on his face. Shoto hummed as he slowly began walking forward at a relaxed pace, expertly masking his excitement. Dabi waited for him to catch up before taking off again, making a quick glance at his watch again. "We'll have to hurry, it's already late."
Shoto nodded but didn't bother replying. He followed a step behind Dabi, easily keeping up with the taller's brisk pace. The dark-haired male led them further and further from the inner city, and eventually, they made it to the outskirts of the city where the buildings had dwindled down into smaller structures.
Dabi took a right, following the sidewalk right beside a grassy slope in the ground that led down to a tranquil, slow-moving river. There was a bridge a few feet ahead of them and Shoto could just make out the tail-end of the black vehicle as it crossed the bridge and headed towards the neighborhood on the other side. Shoto directed his gaze to the male in front of him again and picked up his pace so that he could walk beside him instead.
"Where are we going?" He asked, still continuing to curiously take in all the new sights. Street lamps stood tall in the grass on their left, lighting up their path in spacious, illuminated spheres. Dabi didn't answer immediately, piercing gaze focused ahead. "We're going to our meet-up spot." At first, Shoto gave Dabi a questioning look, wondering what he was talking about, but then it hit him. He recalled the time in the alley when Dabi was leading him away from the gang, how he had mentioned something about "the others waiting for them."
Naturally, Shoto's first instinct was to inquire about who exactly Dabi was speaking of, but the dark-haired man beat him to it. "You don't know them and you're not getting anything out of me until we get there. You'll just have to meet them for yourself." Shoto frowned at the dismissive answer but didn't press the matter. Dabi was right, after all, they were going to meet up with these mysterious "others" right now.
They passed over the bridge and continued on down the sidewalk, not bothering to check and see if any cars were coming, since the road was basically deserted. "So, what is it that you do, exactly?" Shoto fired off another question. "Don't tell me it's something along the lines of thievery," he frowned at the thought, knowing that if the answer to that question was a "yes," he'd probably have to back out.
He was looking for a new experience, something to relax his raging thoughts, not earn himself a criminal record. Dabi snorted, obviously amused by the question. "Is being a criminal seriously the first thought that comes to mind?"
"Well, you do look the part," Shoto stated light-heartedly, gesturing to the male's dark attire. And of course, not to mention the alleyway gang Dabi had some sort of relationship with. Dabi could only laugh, knowing that Shoto had a point. "I'm not about to get you arrested, so relax," he reassured, "actually, let me rephrase that. I'm not about to get you arrested intentionally. I didn't let you tag along so that I could babysit you, if something ends up happening, that's on you, kid."
Shoto didn't respond to that. Now he knew that whatever they were going to be doing involved some form of danger, he couldn't help feeling giddy with excitement and anticipation. "Oh, and one more thing."
Dabi halted, causing Shoto to stop as well. The elder fished out a black cloth from the pocket of his trench coat, handing it over to Shoto. "You're going to need something to conceal your face," was Dabi's only explanation for the spare bandana Shoto now held in his hands. "We'll get you something else to cover that terrible hair of yours, too."
Shoto chuckled at that, tying the bandana around his neck as Dabi had done with his own, blue fire printed one. He jogged to catch up with Dabi again since he had so kindly decided to wait up for him. Joining him once more, Dabi informed him that they were nearly there.
Shoto couldn't wait to find out what kind of adventures this night held in store for him.
Soon the two males finally made it, arriving at what seemed to be an abandoned railroad. Or, maybe it just wasn't currently in use. They had to climb down a steep, partly grassy, partly rocky slope in order to reach the tracks below. Dabi began leading them across the open strip of the railroad tracks towards one of the huge, towering dark arches. It served as a tunnel the train could pass through in order to travel back down into the earth, tracks dipping downwards to lead the train underground so that it could reach the various stations below. Behind them was a similar arch, but it had a different purpose.
Shoto remembered this train quite well. It was known for being able to travel above and below ground, running further than most subways did, and capable of picking up more passengers as well.
On their left was a huge gap between the two towering arches that allowed them to see the grassy field that stretched as far as the eye could see, along with the bright gibbous moon overhead. They were nearing the daunting mouth of the arch that would lead them underground when Dabi slowed his pace, looking like he wanted to say something.
Maybe he was unable to find the right words to convey what he was trying to tell him, or maybe he just deemed the information unworthy of being said at the time. Whatever his reasons were, Dabi kept quiet, instead glancing down at him quickly and subtly, before walking on again.
From the shadows of the arch, a figure approached them, a short and obviously feminine figure. They stepped away from the all-encompassing darkness of the arch, allowing the dim light to illuminate them, and the first thing Shoto saw was red.
Well, that and the wide, chilling smile the girl wore.
"Toga! Shigaraki, you missed me?" It was Dabi who spoke, walking towards the girl, arms thrown out at his sides as if to announce his grand entrance. He seemed totally unfazed by the deep, crimson color that was splattered sporadically yet intentionally all over the girl's beige school uniform, while Shoto was rooted in his spot by the sight of it. She too wore a dark bandana around her neck, except hers had the print of large, white teeth on it instead.
Her smile grew at Dabi's greeting, walking forward to meet him the rest of the way. "What took you so long, Dabi-kun?" She asked, voice the squeaky kind of "cutesy" one would normally find in a cartoon, and the way she tacked "kun" onto the end of the male's name made it all the more believable. Shoto was close enough to be able to hear it, but far enough that Dabi's lean figure mostly hid him from the girl's curious eyes.
He wondered, in the split second it took Dabi to dismiss the girl with a simple wave and continue heading towards the darkness of the archway, if he could just drop out right then and there. Dabi had said that he wasn't going to get him arrested intentionally, but did that mean allowing him to be harmed by his associates was out of his hands as well?
"Play nice, Toga," Dabi's voice cut through his thoughts yet again, bringing him back to reality just in time for him to notice Toga taking casual yet curious steps towards him, expression displaying one of intrigue. Shoto nonchalantly shoved his hands into his pants pockets, relaxing his outward demeanor as he took in a deep, steadying breath. He started walking forward again, hoping to pass by Toga with the same off-hand attitude Dabi had displayed earlier.
Yeah, he could do this, no problem. Fake it 'til you make it, right?
"Who's this, Dabi-kun?" Toga asked as Shoto proceeded by her without much regard, but that definitely didn't stop her from following him, eyes bright as she examined him. When Shoto had swiftly passed her, he'd noticed that the crimson red wasn't as believable as it had been from afar. The splattered red that Shoto was led to believe was blood earlier actually turned out to be some sort of paint, looking more splotched than anything. It was obviously put there with the intention of passing off as the gruesome liquid. From up close, Toga was actually fairly attractive, flushed cheeks, wide smile, and bright yellow eyes warm and welcoming.
Well, welcoming to someone who didn't have to meet her looking like this.
"Who is he, Dabi?" A new voice asked, causing everyone to direct their gazes towards the entrance of the tunnel. Shoto came to a stop a step behind Dabi just as a new person emerged, dark hood covering most of what seemed to be their light blue hair. Though most of his face was hidden by the shadow of his hood, Shoto could clearly see the dead, red irises staring intensely into his own, the heavy, wrinkled bags surrounding his eyes more prominent than Shoto had ever seen before. Toga entered his line of sight again, happily skipping over to join the male, who must be Shigaraki, beaming smile never leaving her face.
Shigaraki's eyes shifted off of Shoto and onto Dabi again, obviously expecting an answer out of the taller male. He was also wearing a bandana loosely around his neck, a large, sickly-looking severed hand etched into the fabric. Shoto wondered if this was some sort of gang symbol for the three, all uniquely designed to fit their tastes.
"Is he your prisoner?" Toga pipped up, head tilted slightly to the side as she stared at Shoto with lidded, craving eyes. Shoto made it a point not to look back at the girl, instead, he interjected before Dabi was able to answer the question.
"I came here of my own accord," he spoke, voice thankfully a lot more stable than he currently felt. "I wanted to see what you guys were all about," he added, just for good measure, and Toga let out an "ooh" of understanding.
Dabi could only chuckle at the bold answer, looking at Shigaraki and shrugging at what Shoto had said. "The kid wanted to tag along."
Shigaraki said nothing as he turned to look at Shoto again, eyes sharp and analyzing. "Come on, Shiga-kun," Toga's high pitched voice rang out, cutting through the tense atmosphere. "He's cute, let him join us."
Shigaraki glanced at the girl beside him, rolling his eyes as he turned and began to disappear into the darkness of the tunnel again. "Fine, he can stay, but he's your responsibility, Dabi," he said over his shoulder, murmuring something under his breath before the gloom swallowed him completely.
Toga squealed with excitement as she hurried to follow after Shigaraki, undoubtedly delighted to finally get going. Dabi turned to Shoto, jerking his head in the direction of the tunnel as he began heading that way as well. He didn't bother waiting to see if Shoto was following as he too disappeared into the shadows, leaving Shoto standing outside on the railroad by himself.
Shoto stood there for another moment, looking up at the steep slope he and Dabi had climbed down in order to reach the meet-up spot. Letting out a sigh and praying that this wasn't the biggest mistake of his life, he descended down into the tunnel.
Here goes nothing.
It took a moment for Shoto's eyes to adjust to the darkness of the tunnel, but once they did, he spotted Dabi and the others a few feet in front of him. They seemed to be gathering their needed supplies, Toga slinging a dark backpack over her shoulders while Dabi and Shigaraki carried two large duffle bags. Shoto hurried over, grabbing the last dark backpack off of the tracks and maneuvering it so that it rested comfortably on his shoulders. Once he was finally situated, Dabi shoved what looked like a dark hooded sweater into his hands, true to his earlier words of getting him something to hide his painfully noticeable hair.
Shoto wished he would have given him the sweater sooner, though, so that he wouldn't have to waste time slipping the backpack off just to pull the sweater over his head. Especially because everyone looked like they were eager to finally get going. Shoto lifted the hood over his head, situating the backpack on his back once more, before nodding to the group to silently tell them that he was ready to move out.
They started down the tunnel silently, all following behind Shigaraki's lead. The tunnel was dimly light with small lights lined up on the walls of the subway, giving the place a yellow-green hue. It was still hard to see, but then again there really wasn't anything to see.
The tunnel was just a long stretch of tracks and dim lights. There was a turn up ahead that was practically unnoticeable unless you could focus your gaze enough to observe the lights on the left wall disappear rather abruptly.
A sudden, sharp noise caught Shoto's attention, head snapping to the left in order to see what it was. Toga was humming a soft, unknown tune, smile on her lips as she skipped beside him. His gaze trailed behind them, eyes narrowing in the dark at the deep red line he was certain wasn't there before. He then looked back at Toga, finally noticing the can of spray paint in her hand as she sprinkled the crimson color onto the subway wall in an uncaring manner.
Shoto stared, astonished at the blonde's actions. Dabi and Shigaraki didn't even seem to care, continuing down the tracks leisurely. Toga turned when she caught him staring, smile growing wider, just as Shoto finally put everything together. "Wait a second, you guys are street artists?" He asked, thinking back onto the bandana's they each had around his neck, the bandana Dabi had given him, and the red paint that decorated Toga's clothes. It all made sense now.
He felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders at the discovery. Street art wasn't as bad compared to the things he was thinking about.
Toga smiled beside him, arm dropping back down to her side. "We're-"
"Street artists," Dabi cut in quickly from in front of them. They both looked up at him, but he kept his back turned. The confirmation only continued to boost Shoto's relief, just as Toga pouted sulkily beside him. "What's in the bags?"
"Supplies," Dabi answered bluntly.
"And where are we going?"
"Into the city," this time, it was Shigaraki who spoke, answer just as uninformative as Dabi's had been. Shoto frowned. He didn't like all of the short responses he was receiving. They had invited him to join them, right? Didn't he deserve to at least know what they were going to be doing?
"You'll figure everything out soon enough," Dabi chuckled softly, probably sensing the younger male's displeasure.
"By the way." Shoto jumped at the sudden soft voice in his ear, head whipping to the left to see Toga giggling softly at his reaction. She was standing much closer to him than before, and Shoto would be lying if he said that the grin she now wore, and her impressive ability to sneak up on him without him even realizing it, didn't creep him out. She just continued to give the wrong kind of vibe.
"What should we call you?" Toga asked him, head tilted slightly to the right again. "I think I might call you… duality-kun?" She smiled, breaking into a fit of giggles and even drawing a chuckle out of Dabi, Shoto scowling at the mocking nickname.
"Todoroki, call me Todoroki," he snapped, annoyance clear in his voice. He didn't think it was too big of a deal to share his family name with these three. Toga calmed almost immediately gasping softly as she took an unseen glance in Dabi's direction. Even Shigaraki seemed to react to the revealing of his name, glancing subtly over his shoulder a the tall dark-haired male. But of course, this all went completely unnoticed to Shoto, who still couldn't even see his own two hands in front of him clearly.
If he had noticed the looks at all, Dabi completely ignored them. "We should hurry," he said, tired voice sounding unusually tight. "Before that train catches up to us."
As they turned down the wide curve in the tunnel, they fell into a semi-awkward silence. Or it felt that way to Shoto, at least. Toga's soft humming beside him relaxed him a bit, but he couldn't help feeling like revealing his name might not have been the best idea.
Suddenly, Shoto felt a vibration on the train tracks beneath his feet, and he knew that could only mean one thing. He didn't register the quiet, gleeful noise Toga made as she ran ahead to join Dabi, heart leaping into his throat at the thought of the train catching up to them, right here out of all places. He could barely see the landing platform from where he was standing and doubted that they'd be able to make it before the train caught them.
He stared down the dark tunnel behind them, waiting with bated breath for the blinding lights of the train to turn the corner, for their inevitable doom.
"Oi, kid." The voice of Dabi made Shoto jump as he turned quickly, seeing that the three of them had stopped and were now watching him. Shoto didn't even realize that he had stopped himself. "The train's coming, let's get a move on," Dabi said. Shoto nodded, quickly running to catch up to the three of them. He needed to calm himself. If they were going to make it out of here safely then he needed to keep a level head. The four of them ran down the train tracks, the contents of their bags jolting around loudly.
But the sound was nothing compared to the deafening whistle of the train. Shoto could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, blood pounding in his ears. He didn't dare glance back, knowing that the sight of the approaching train would only hinder him. Dabi and Toga were just up ahead of him, so he pushed himself to catch up, not wanting to be the weak link that dragged everyone else down.
He glanced at the two of them from the corner of his eye to see if they were faring any better than he was. He never would have thought the two of them would be wearing identical grins, eyes wide with adrenaline.
How were they NOT freaking out right now? Was this something that they did often? Shoto couldn't fathom doing things so ridiculously dangerous on a regular basis.
A bright light shone from further down in the tunnel, and Shoto never knew he'd be so happy to see a station platform in his life. At the sight of the station ahead, Toga put on an extra burst of speed, giggling as she passed by Shigaraki. She was small, that was for sure, but she was definitely faster and more agile than she looked.
The train blared out loudly again just as Toga easily lifted herself onto the platform, turning to cheer the others on playfully.
Shoto briefly wondered how the girl could be so cheerful in this kind of situation but was quick to dismiss those thoughts. Right now, all he needed to be worrying about was making it to safety. Dabi was still beside him, but with his long legs, Shoto knew he could have been going much faster, easily passing Shigaraki ahead of them. Was he lagging behind because of him?
The thought of being the cause of Dabi's slower movements compelled Shoto forward, pushing his legs to go faster than he'd ever had to before, adrenaline finally kicking in.
It seemed like years until the three of them reached the station, but when they finally did Shoto felt relief wash over him. Shigaraki was the first to lift himself onto the platform, performing the act without the amount of grace Toga had done before, but he still made it look easy all the same.
With a glance towards the younger beside him, Dabi soon followed, and then it was Shoto's turn. Now standing in front of the platform, he knew that he too would be able to lift himself with little to no effort, the task seeming a lot less strenuous as he'd previously thought.
The train was approaching quickly on his left, bright lights flashing in his eyes as he hurriedly relieved himself of the backpack and tossed it onto the platform, wanting to get rid of the extra weight.
He then placed his hands on the hazard line of the platform, preparing to hoist himself up when the train whistled again, sounding much, much closer than before.
For a split second, he thought he wasn't going to make it. Surely the train was upon him now, and there was no way he could clear the platform in time to get to safety. But then, as if in slow motion, lanky, discolored arms reached out and grabbed him in a vice-like grip, heaving him the rest of the way up onto the platform.
And then the train zipped by.
Shoto stared wide-eyed from where he sat on the platform as the transport zoomed right past his feet, blurry with motion. His breathing was heavy as he tried to calm the racing of his heart, feeling lightheaded.
It was only when the pounding in his ears quieted that he was able to hear the laughs that were bouncing off of the close walls behind him.
Shoto looked over his shoulder to see Dabi leaning against the wall and Toga doubled over as they both laughed uncontrollably, eyes shut with unhindered amusement.
Shoto wondered how they could find such enjoyment when their lives had just been in great risk two minutes ago. But, at the same time, he also understood completely. The adrenaline, the rush, the utter danger of the situation, it made Shoto feel something he never had in his normal everyday life. His heart raging against his ribcage, the inability to take in a proper breath, and the lightheadedness he got from his near death experience all felt good in a way he couldn't really describe.
Shoto jumped to his feet, swaying slightly and catching the eyes of Shigaraki, who still looked bored out of his mind as he checked over the bag Shoto had thrown earlier. Dabi and Toga seemed to have calmed finally, the girl walking over to him and taking one of his hands in her own as she spoke to him excitedly, but he couldn't hear what she was saying.
He couldn't hear anything, actually, white noise filling his head. He felt dizzy, walking over to the wall to lean on for extra support. He was torn. Torn between wanting to enjoy the energy coursing through his body, and deciding to just up and leave the three of them right then and there, their extreme nature too wild for him. But this is what he had wanted, isn't it? A chance to escape the norm, to do something unfamiliar to him?
He put his hand over his head as he tried to collect his muddled thoughts, his hearing finally coming back to him and his heartbeat slowing to a more healthy pace.
"See, kid? The rush is amazing, isn't it?"
Shoto lifted his gaze to see Dabi standing next to him, holding out the black backpack for him to take. Shoto pushed himself off of the wall, feeling steady again. The dark-haired man watched as Shoto slipped on the backpack almost robotically, eyes faraway and unseeing.
Dabi's eyes narrowed slightly at the display, placing a firm hand on the younger's shoulder. "Hey, you with us?" He asked, catching Shoto's attention again. Shoto was silent for a moment, slowly regaining himself with each passing second.
He then nodded firmly, finally allowing a smile to make its way onto his face. "Yeah," he said. "I'm with you." And he finally was, fully and whole-heartedly, as he began following the others out of the station.
As the four of them climbed the stairs and emerged out from the subway at a deserted part of the city, Shoto felt his thoughts clear as the coolness of the night air washed over him.
He had followed Dabi because he wanted a night full of adventures, and that's exactly what he was getting, and he was determined to see it through.
After the group had left the underground tunnel, they arrived in another part of the city that Shoto was completely unfamiliar with.
This part of the city was practically abandoned, with only a few street lights that did little to nothing to illuminate their path. They mostly journeyed through the city guided by the light of the moon overhead. The three of them seemed to know where they were going, though, so Shoto just followed along behind them silently. The area they were in was obviously the more run down part of the city by the looks of the unkept buildings and roads, so Shoto wasn't so surprised that the ragtag group knew their way around this place.
He figured that the cops didn't normally come around here.
"You know the drill, if anyone spots the authorities, get out as quickly as you can," Shigaraki said as he ducked into an alley, the other three following swiftly behind him.
Okay, so maybe he was wrong.
"I'll go North and take the two duffle bags," Shigaraki said, and Dabi and Toga gave him a quick nod, expressions hardening slightly. Shoto couldn't help but feel like they were all hiding something from him, thoughts drifting back to what Toga was in the process of saying before Dabi had cut her off way back in the tunnel.
But he couldn't blame them, he was the new guy, after all.
The four of them dropped the bags they were holding as Toga cheerily called out how she wanted to go East this time, and Shoto could feel a twinge of fear stab at his heart as he stepped back, allowing the three others to separate their supplies in private. It was obvious that from here on out they would be splitting up, and they would all go their separate ways. Shoto wasn't as afraid of being alone as he was of his father finding him out here.
He didn't know what district his father and his partner were assigned for patrol tonight, and if he somehow got busted by his FATHER of all people… Shoto glanced over his shoulder at the opening of the alley that led back out into the street, feeling his paranoia begin to sink in. He averted his gaze from the dimly lit road to watch the group again, just as Toga jumped to her feet and began running towards him, a wide smile on her face. "Don't get caught, Todo-kun," she winked at him, giggling as she left the alley and disappeared around the corner.
At the same moment, Shigaraki and Dabi also parted ways, the former leaving the alley out of the back entrance, duffle bags slung over his shoulders, while Dabi headed towards Shoto, smaller backpack in hand. "You're with me, kid," he said as he passed the younger, shoving the black bag into his hands in the process.
Shoto let out a quiet sigh of relief as he turned and followed Dabi out of the alley and down the street, thankful that he didn't have to go off on his own and risk getting caught. He much preferred to be with someone more skilled in this area.
It didn't take them long to get to their first destination, in between what looked like an old rundown restaurant and a tall brick apartment. There was just enough light coming from the lamp post right outside the small space for them to see the brick wall clearly, and Dabi nodded in approval at the sight.
He unzipped the black bag Shoto was still carrying, fishing out the cyan blue and black cans of spray paint. He walked over to the wall as he lifted his bandana over his mouth and nose and shook the cyan can, just as Shoto stood back to watch, curious to see what Dabi was going to create. Soon enough, Dabi began.
His arms moved expertly, painting the previously blank wall with the bright blue he'd chosen. His strokes were smooth and practiced, reminding Shoto of the fluid strokes he also practiced to perfect in his own sketchbook. He could tell just by watching the dark-haired male that he was completely zoned into the moment, relaxed expression on his face. It was comfortably silent between the two of them, Dabi focused on his work, and Shoto watching the art piece come together with great interest. Finally, Dabi stepped back, his painting now completed.
He had drawn a large blue flame rising from the bottom of the brick wall and outlined it with black. It was extremely detailed, looking as if it would burst from the wall and light up the dark street with stunning blue light. Dabi turned to return the cans of spray paint to the bag, stride faltering slightly when he noticed Shoto still standing there, bag in his arms.
Dabi rose a brow at him as he put the sprays away. "You didn't do anything?" He asked. Shoto zipped up the backpack again, following Dabi back out of the alley as he responded. "I didn't have anything in mind," he answered, and even though it wasn't the full truth, it wasn't exactly a lie either. He really WAS clueless about what he should draw, but at the same time, he wanted to watch Dabi do it first, just so that when he tried he didn't make a complete fool out of himself.
"You don't need to think, you've just gotta go for it," Dabi said, leading them down a new road, Shoto close beside him. "Just pick up the paint and go from there." Shoto hummed at that. Dabi was probably right, rather than thinking about what he should and should not do, Shoto needed to allow himself to feel his way into the new craft. "So, try something next time, yeah?" Dabi turned to look at him, bright blue gaze expecting. Shoto nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah, next time."
But when "next time" rolled around, Shoto was drawing a blank. And the time after that, and the time after that, and even when the two of them had to make a hasty escape out of a new alley when a cop car strolled past slowly. Now here they were, hiding in yet another alley after running a good few blocks until they felt like they were far enough from the cop car. Shoto leaned his back against the wall to catch his breath. That was honestly too close for comfort, and even though the cops hadn't seen them, another second of them hanging around by Dabi's graffiti could have gone totally south.
Dabi walked back over to him after checking to make sure they weren't followed, letting out a loud sigh as he sat down on the dirty alley floor, back against the building behind him. Shoto sat down beside him, backpack resting on the ground beside him. They sat together in silence, allowing themselves to catch their breath. Crickets chirped around them softly, filling in for their lack of conversation.
Dabi slapped him lightly on the shoulder to get his attention, pointing towards the wall across from them. "An empty canvas, you should go for it," he said. Shoto stared at the wall, pulling his hood more snuggly around his face as a cold breeze blew through the alley. He frowned, shaking his head. "I want to, but I can't think of anything, there's so much I want to do but at the same time, there's nothing at all," he said honestly.
Just like how he was feeling on the inside. He was conflicted with his problems at home. He was torn between two sides, seeing the pros and cons of both, but still being expected to choose one.
Dabi was quiet for a while before letting out a loud huff. "Fine, need some inspiration?" He asked, giving Shoto no time to respond as he sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, he looked up to stare at the sky. "Fire is something that's been symbolic for me since I was very young," he began, and for a moment Shoto wondered if he was actually being genuine, the tone of his voice throwing him off. "At first it was something I rejected, that I hated, but then, I fell in love with it," Dabi smiled fondly at whatever memories were brought up by his words. Shoto watched, body shifting slightly in the other's direction as he got comfortable, curious to hear about the older males story.
"When I first got into street art, blue flames were the first thing I made, I gained a deep connection with it that I can't really describe to anyone else, but I know exactly how it feels. It eventually became my trademark, and every time I painted blue flames I felt so weightless and relaxed in a way I've never felt before," he said softly, blinking as he turned to look at Shoto again. "For most of us, our art is a way we can de-stress, something for us to do to release our pent-up emotions healthily."
Shoto held the man's gaze, nodding slowly at what he'd just been told. He never really expected Dabi of all people to open up to him and share a piece of information about himself, but Shoto was grateful that he did anyway. It helped give him a better understanding of street art, opening him up to trying out something new.
Dabi cleared his throat awkwardly, probably feeling a little self-conscious about what he'd just shared, but he quickly covered it up. "Basically, the moral of the story is that you need to find a reason to draw, you can't just do it just because, that's not how street-art works. It's a way to express yourself fully without words." Dabi motioned towards the blank wall again before looking back at him, a small, encouraging smile on his lips.
Shoto took in a steadying deep breath, grabbing the backpack as he climbed to his feet. He slowly walked over to the wall, staring at it for a while before he unzipped the backpack and began fishing around for a spray color.
He was still clueless about what he wanted to create, trying to follow Dabi's advice and just make it from his heart. But that was his issue, he had no idea what his heart was even saying. He sighed, digging into the backpack to pull out the first spray can he grabbed, deciding to just cop-out and draw something random, just to satisfy Dabi's consistent pestering.
He pulled his arm from the bag, a can of spray paint in hand as he examined the cold, plastic thing.
The canister had an icy blue design on one side, and the other was a flaming red and orange. Shoto flipped the thing to see the front, noticing that in big, bolded letters, the title of the paint was "fire and ice." He thought that putting the two of them together was rather ironic. Fire and ice were polar opposites, always at odds. Putting the two together would only result in a huge, confusing…mess.
Shoto's eyes widened.
That was it.
Shoto sat the spray can on the floor, reaching into the bag again to pull out more of his desired colors, finally knowing what he needed to paint. He shook up the first can that was just a plain, solid white, lifting his bandana over his nose before he began to paint the wall, starting out slowly before he began to pick up speed.
His arm glided effortlessly through the air as he worked, eyes never leaving the brick wall before him. Once he was done with the white, he picked up different colored spray paint, focusing on the left side of his work, feeling his emotions begin to stir as his strokes became shorter and fueled with passion and frustration. His thoughts drifted back to his family, the whole reason he'd left the house in the first place, and he could feel himself growing hot with rage.
He was angry, angry at all of them, not just his father. He was angry with Natsuo and Fuyumi for being unable to stop their petty, childish arguments. He was angry at his father for never doing anything about it, instead moping about like if the world revolved around him, as if he were completely powerless to the current unfolding events.
But most of all, Shoto was angry at them for expecting so much of him, wanting him to do this or wanting him to do that, but most importantly trying to force him to choose a side in the divided family views. Shoto had left for his boarding school for that exact reason, so that he could escape the expectations and the heavy and unpleasant energy everyone seemed to be carrying. And now here his family was, trying to pull him back into the problems all over again.
Shoto stopped painting, glaring at what he'd just finished harshly as if he blamed it for all of his problems. He shut his eyes, needing to mentally pull himself out of the moment as he looked at the right side of his painting, knowing that he needed to fill that part of the barren wall as well. Grabbing a different color, he took in a deep breath, before he slowly started again.
Arms gliding to create more stable shapes on the wall, Shoto couldn't help but continue his thoughts from earlier. He felt much calmer now, slower, more precise lines helping with that. Shoto's family had a lot of issues, yes, and though he could always get so caught up in his emotions and blame them, at the end of the day he still loved them all deeply.
He related to them, feeling for them and knowing exactly what kind of confusing, raging emotions were coursing through them. At the end of the day, they were all new to this whole "family" thing, and he couldn't blame them for slipping and going back to their old ways. They were all trying to work towards something, some sort of change, even if that "change" didn't necessarily align all the time. Shoto's arm felt heavy as he continued with his long, relaxing strokes.
At the end of the day, no matter how hard he raged at the rest of his family's issues, he couldn't help feeling terribly guilty afterward, knowing that he was going back on his own commitment of change. Knowing that he was asking for the kind of patience from the rest of his family that he didn't even know how to display. His hypocrisy always stared him dead in the eye, and Shoto was never strong enough to turn away.
Shoto stopped spraying again, unable to take his eyes off of the right side of the painting. He felt bad for leaving them, for escaping into his own world when they needed him. He felt bad for always running away in one way or another.
But, at the same time, he understood that he wasn't some superhuman, and he couldn't expect himself to be. He understood that sometimes things really did get too overwhelming to the point where he just needed to back out, allowing him time to collect his thoughts and care for himself.
Shoto let out a low, shaky breath, eyes drifting over his work, over the entire piece. He did exactly what Dabi had told him to do, he painted out his truth.
He stepped back to observe his creation in all of its glory. He started out with a simple, faceless white figure standing in the middle of the wall. To the left, he'd drawn a raging fire of bright reds, oranges, and yellows. The flames traveled up the wall and reached out towards the sky, representing the passion Shoto felt inside. To the right, he'd drawn a sturdy, solid glacier, tipped edges pointed towards the stars, representing the stability Shoto knew he possessed.
Shoto could only smile at what he created, finally feeling truly relaxed, like he now completely understood his own feelings. A hand was placed on his shoulder and Shoto turned to look at Dabi as the older took in his painting with wide, admiring eyes.
"You did it." Was all Dabi said, and really, it was all that he needed to say. Shoto knew exactly what he was talking about.
He turned, putting away the cans of spray he had used, pausing when he picked up the fire and ice canister. He smiled, feeling gratitude towards the inanimate object that had sparked the idea for his creation in the first place. He moved to put it back into the bag before Dabi's voice stopped him.
"You should keep it," the dark-haired man said, smiling genuinely at Shoto for once. "You seem to have a thing for fire and ice."
Shoto chuckled softly at the comment, thanking the other as he slipped the dual-themed spray paint into the large front pocket of his sweater. He zipped up the backpack again and adjusted it onto his shoulders. "So, where to now?"
Dabi grinned at him, chuckling. "Eager to get going already?" He asked light-heartedly. Shoto rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Please, I'm just getting started-"
Suddenly, the loud, blaring siren startled both of them out of their tranquil moment. Red and blue lights shined against the walls, illuminating the once dark alley entirely. Shoto watched as Dabi turned immediately, calling back to him as he began dashing out of the alley's back entrance towards the buildings, taking a sharp turn to the right.
Shoto wasted no time in hurrying after him, ignoring the loud "hey" that was called after him. He turned right just as Dabi had done before him, and quickly caught up to his dark-haired companion. The police officers were hot on their trail, Shoto could hear them turning the corner and chasing them down the narrow passageway.
Dabi took another sharp turn to the left, leading them down an even darker narrow passage, throwing his head back with a loud laugh, no doubt enjoying the thrill of the chase. Shoto smiled at his carefree attitude, the rush of the wind in his face refreshing.
He took a glance over his shoulder, realizing that the two cops were a lot more capable than he'd previously given them credit for, flashlights blinding as they kept up a steady pace with them, trailing only a few feet behind Shoto. Shoto turned again, letting out a laugh of his own that got drowned out by Dabi's and the shouts of the officers behind them.
Maybe he'd be earning himself that criminal record after all.